Apply Online for Disability Benefits

Social Security offers an online disability application you can complete at your convenience. Apply from the comfort of your home or any location at a time most convenient for you. You do not need to drive to your local Social Security office or wait for an appointment with a Social Security representative.

You can use the online application to apply for disability benefits if you:

Are age 18 or older;

Are not currently receiving benefits on your own Social Security record;

Are unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death: and

Have not been denied disability benefits in the last 60 days. If your application was recently denied for medical reasons, the Internet Appeal is a starting point to request a review of the medical determination we made.

We suggest that you have the following information at hand. It will make completing the application much easier.

Information About You

Your date and place of birth and Social Security number

The name, Social Security number and date of birth or age of your current spouse and any former spouse. You should also know the dates and places of marriage and dates of divorce or death (if appropriate)

Names and dates of birth of your minor children

Your bank or other financial institution's Routing Transit Number [more info] and the account number, if you want the benefits electronically deposited

Information About Your Medical Condition

Name, address and phone number of someone we can contact who knows about your medical conditions and can help with your application

Award letters, pay stubs, settlement agreements or other proof of any temporary or permanent workers' compensation-type benefits you received [more info].

Important

We accept photocopies of W-2 forms, self-employment tax returns or medical documents, but we must see the original of most other documents, such as your birth certificate. (We will return them to you.)

Do not delay applying for benefits because you do not have all the documents. We will help you get them.

Mailing Your Documents

If you mail any documents to us, you must include the Social Security number so that we can match them with the correct application. Do not write anything on the original documents. Please write the Social Security number on a separate sheet of paper and include it in the mailing envelope along with the documents.

If you do not want to mail these documents, you may bring them to a Social Security office.
Do not mail foreign birth records or any documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), especially those you are required to keep with you at all times. These documents are extremely difficult, time-consuming and expensive to replace if lost. Some cannot be replaced. Instead, bring them to a Social Security office where we will examine them and return them to you.